A U.S. group that monitors North Korean weapons development says the communist country has likely resumed operations at a plutonium reactor at its Yongbyon nuclear facility.
38 North on Friday posted commercial satellite images that it said indicate Pyongyang is preparing to restart the reactor after previously unloading spent fuel rods.
The group said the images show a water plume that it believes is caused by the cooling water outlet of the reactor, an indication the reactor is very likely operating.
Yongbyon nuclear complex, North Korea
The organization says that without further measurements, it is impossible to estimate at what power level the reactor is running, although 38 North says it could be considerable.
North Korea is believed to be able to reprocess plutonium — used in nuclear warheads.
The Yongbyon nuclear complex, which includes a 5-megawatt reactor and other facilities, was shut down under an agreement reached in 2007 involving North Korea and five other countries: the United States, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea. North Korea, however, vowed in 2013 to resume activities at the site, 90 kilometers north of the capital, Pyongyang.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, a U.N. body, said last year that the Yongbyon reactor had been restarted, either for enrichment or reprocessing.
The reported activities by North Korea are the latest in a series of defiant acts amid numerous United Nations sanctions for the North’s atomic and ballistic missile development.
Post a Comment